Early Years Educator Apprentice

CASTLE KINDERGARTEN LIMITED

Durham (DH6 2DZ)

Closes in 24 days (Friday 17 October 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 22 September 2025

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Summary

At Castle Kindergarten we have created beautiful, homely environments where children and practitioners can play and learn together. Children have the chance to learn in thoughtfully created inclusive indoor and outdoor learning spaces with practitioners who value high quality interactions.

Wage

£16,770 a year

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Castle Kindergarten: • Pays 5% employer National Insurance contribution • Give 25% employee discount on childcare • An extra day of leave each year for a winder wellness day.

Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Hours
Apprentices will work eight hour shifts each day across the week either 7.30 to 3.30 pm, 8.00 to 4.00pm, 9.00 to 5.00pm or 10.00 to 18.00 pm.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Monday 27 October 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

At Castle Kindergarten:

  • Apprentices will be placed with practitioners and children, learning how to engage in high quality interactions during play and learning experiences
  • Apprentices will support practitioners in the preparation of high-quality learning experiences
  • Apprentices will support in the care needs of children, supporting with snack and lunches, getting children ready to go outside and supporting children to go to sleep
  • We value the outdoors, and apprentices will be engaged in learning experiences with children in our garden space daily
  • Apprentices will support the practitioners, set out experiences every morning work with the practitioners and children to keep the room clean and tidy
  • We have regular in-house training offered during staff meetings and via TEAMS and apprentices will be expected to attend these sessions

Apprentices will gain the opportunity to work with children who have additional needs, learning from our SENDCo’s and practitioners about speech and language, physical disabilities, behaviour and autism.  

Where you'll work

Church Street
Haswell
Durham
DH6 2DZ

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

CITY OF SUNDERLAND COLLEGE

Training course

Early years educator (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
  • Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
  • Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
  • Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
  • Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
  • Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
  • Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
  • Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
  • Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
  • Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
  • Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
  • Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
  • Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
  • Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
  • Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
  • Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
  • Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
  • Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
  • Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.
  • Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
  • Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
  • Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
  • Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
  • Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
  • Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
  • Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
  • Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
  • Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
  • Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
  • Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
  • Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
  • Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
  • Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
  • Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
  • Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
  • Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
  • Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
  • Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.

Training schedule

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade Grade 4-9 Or Equivalent)
  • Maths (grade Grade 4-9 Or Equivalent)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Physical fitness

Other requirements

The role will involve working in the outdoors daily in all weathers, so apprentices must come dressed for the weather. Apprentices should wear smart casual clothing to work but jeans are not acceptable. The Castle Kindergarten colours are black and green.

About this employer

Castle Kindergarten is a small company that employs 70 plus early years practitioners across four settings. Two settings are based in the Sunderland area in Hylton Castle and Washinton and two settings are based in County Durham at Sacriston and Haswell. We offer full daycare to children from birth to five years. We are open for fifty-one weeks of the year from 7.30 am to 18.00 pm and operate a shift system to ensure that there are always enough staff to children in the rooms. Each setting has three rooms for children aged birth to twenty-four months, two to three years and three to five years. Castle Kindergarten has a website where you will be able to view our beautiful, unique indoor and outdoor environments and read about our unique approach to offering high quality play and learning experiences. We work closely with our parents/carers and involve them in all aspects of their child’s learning and development. We have children with additional needs, and we work hard to ensure identified children are engaged in an inclusive environment.

After this apprenticeship

  • There is the possibility of full-time permanent employment if the apprentice completes their apprenticeship successfully

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CITY OF SUNDERLAND COLLEGE

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000343221.

Apply now

Closes in 24 days (Friday 17 October 2025 at 11:59pm)

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